A Second Chance

Altered Fates

Watched Deadpool 2 for probably the fiftieth time today. Gave me some inspiration. Fans of Cheating Destiny can probably guess which character is gonna make their intro after reading this~

Parts of this chapter are... very meta. A couple fourth wall breaks. But I had fun writing it XD

... until I didn't. Sorry in advance, but you guys are gonna hate me.

[♥]

"Terra?"

It's been so long since you've last seen him – the real him – that the name sounds almost foreign coming out of your mouth. But you'd never forget those sharp blue eyes, or the messy brown hair, or the way the very corners of his lips would twitch momentarily before he'd smile. He stands across from you, blinking a couple times as if his eyes are adjusting to the light – despite the beach being dark and covered in shadows.

"[Name]?" he calls out again, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

And that's as long as you make it before you're running forward, your arms thrown around his neck as you tackle your old friend to the ground. He falls down with a grunt, his hands hesitantly resting against your back as you bury your face into his chest, unable to erase the smile from your face.

He's actually real this time. Not some illusion, like the last time you saw him... when Xehanort attacked you and Vanitas rescued you. You can touch him this time, and feel his embrace and his soft breath pooling over your hair

"How is this happening?" Terra murmurs, causing you to pull back.

You're greeted by those same blue eyes, which you're able to make out even though your vision is blurred by tears. He still looks the same, like he hasn't aged a day. You pull back even more, matching Terra's kneeling position as you do the same, resting on your knees as you place your hands on either side of his face.

"Terr..." you hum, barely able to believe what's happening. It's almost too good to be true. "Can you see me, this time?"

"Kind of," he admits, sounding a little sheepish at his weakened state. "Seeing you again... does this... mean I'm free?"

"... No," you all but whisper, your hands falling to your lap as your head falls down, all happiness erased in an instant as reality sets in. The reason why you're down here in the first place.

"Oh," Terra mutters, glancing to the side for a moment as his lips purse in discontent.

"I'm gonna save you, though!" you add, grabbing one of Terra's hands in both of yours and dragging it into your lap, playing with the dry skin on the back of his hand as his eyes sadly meet yours. "I just... need a little more time."

"Don't get your hopes up," he tells you, lazily placing his free hand atop yours. "I'm pretty sure I'm beyond saving, [Name]. My memories... my hold on reality... it's almost all gone."

"What do you mean?" you ask, though you're not quite sure if you want to hear the answer.

"My... real self. I can barely feel me anymore," he admits, his voice growing softer as he speaks. "Whatever's happening in the light..." he trails off, his eyes widening as his fingers gently squeeze your top hand. "Wait. Why are you still here? Where's Aqua? And Ven?"

You sigh, feeling oddly relieved. Terra's face is suddenly alive, his eyes searching yours desperately as some color grows on his cheeks. As if speaking about this stuff is helping him to become real again.

"I'm not here alone," you tell him, smiling reassuringly. "Do you remember those boys from the island that you visited? Sora and Riku?"

Terra hums softly under his breath before a small smile also grows on his face.